Saturday, January 15, 2011

Guzaarish - A Review

Movie: Guzaarish

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nafisa Ali

Rating: 4.5 (5.0)

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Bravo! They cheer as Ethan Mascarenhas lifts up in the air and stuns the audience. Bravo! The heart goes when it feels the sheer magic that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has put on film for our viewing pleasure. The subject of this awesome piece of art is a very difficult one, "Euthanasia" or mercy killing. To take a side and vote for or against the issue is very hard but irrespective of the stance one thing is for sure Hrithik Roshan has given life to the pain and suffering of Ethan Mascarenhas in a way that deserves a standing ovation with a sprinkle of some well deserved, heartfelt tears.

The story describes how a Merlin who made a fortune by doing the unthinkable and achieving the impossible copes with life valiantly for 14 years in a vegetated state. The man who could make people believe that he had powers beyond their reckoning is reduced to a piece of flesh that is unable to do even the most mundane operations like scratching the nose or raising a finger. The magnitude of Ethan's pain is heightened by the flawless past that he had lived. All that he had achieved haunted and taunted him for14 years until the day he decided that the only dignified end to his life was mercy killing, a practice prohibited by the Indian Penal Court.

Ethan's caretaker Sofia played marvelously by the ever stunning Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is not convinced about Ethan's request for death. Sofia's care and love and the amazing chemistry between her and Ethan is the highlight of the film. She is actually in love with him.Sofia finally realizes with the help of Ethan's friends and mother that Ethan's demand for an end to his misery was more about self-respect and dignity and she vows to stand by him eventually in the capacity of not only his nurse but by the end of the movie, his better half.

What takes this film beyond being good and towards being a masterpiece is the wit and humor that punctuates the otherwise tragic state of events. It is a serious film but it is sexy, flirtatious, humorous and incredibly intelligent.

Two thumbs up to Bhansali for making the best film that audiences would have seen for a very long time. He is a genius and this time around he has got partners who are equally amazing in Hrithik and Aishwarya.